The Medium

The Medium is a demanding horror title, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and Intel Arc B390 produces a very specific performance profile. The data indicates a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics processor, resulting in low frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. The measured FPS values show that this pairing is best suited for low-resolution and low-detail gaming, as any attempt to increase visual fidelity leads to a significant drop in playability.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions clearly points to the Intel Arc B390 as the primary bottleneck in this configuration. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 51 FPS to 43 FPS, a reduction of 8 FPS. Further scaling up to 3840x2160 at Low settings sees the average fall to 34 FPS, another 9 FPS loss. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing capability.

The trend is even more pronounced at higher quality settings. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 23 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 1440p, and then to 15 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 4 FPS loss, which is identical to the loss from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU is not just limited by pixel count but also by the shader complexity at these settings, with the graphics card being overwhelmed by the combination of resolution and graphical load.

The data for Medium settings shows a similar trend, with average FPS of 32 at 1080p, 27 at 1440p, and 21 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 5 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 6 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's performance degradation is not linear but becomes more severe as the resolution increases, likely due to the B390's limited memory bandwidth and raw compute throughput. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the limiting factor here, as the frame rate is consistently low regardless of resolution, a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo can achieve in The Medium?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 51 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60 FPS experience, though it still falls short.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Medium?

A: The data shows that 4K gaming is not viable with this setup. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 12 at Ultra settings to 34 at Low settings. Even at the lowest settings, the frame rate dips below a consistently playable threshold, and at higher settings, it drops to near-unplayable levels.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its closest rivals based on benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, has an average score of 1463, which is 1.3% lower. Other close competitors include the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower). This indicates the B390 is positioned at the very low end of the graphics performance spectrum.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 51 FPS on Low settings to 18 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a substantial 33 FPS loss, showing that the visual quality presets have a massive impact on performance with this hardware.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a strong performer in synthetic benchmarks?

A: Yes, the CPU's benchmark results are solid for a mainstream desktop processor. It scores 12380 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1680 in single-core. Its avgBenchmarkScore is 19039, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it performs better than the majority of processors in the database.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for The Medium?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 3314th out of 3724 tested combos for this game. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations, confirming that it is a very low-performing setup for this particular title.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall ranking for this combo in The Medium is 3314 out of 3724 tested combinations. This places the system in the bottom 11% of all configurations, a position that reflects its severe graphical limitations. The ranking is a direct consequence of the Intel Arc B390's performance, which is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This means the graphics card is slower than 91% of all other GPUs in the database, making it the definitive bottleneck.

The CPU, in contrast, is a much stronger component. The Intel Core i5-12400F sits in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039. This high CPU score is offset almost entirely by the GPU's low score of 1482. The pairing is unbalanced, with the processor's capabilities far exceeding what the graphics card can utilize in a graphically intensive game like The Medium. This results in a system where the frame rate is dictated almost solely by the GPU, leading to the poor overall rank.

The data suggests that the CPU is not a contributing factor to the low ranking. The 6-core, 12-thread processor with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz is more than capable of feeding the B390. The bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops when increasing resolution or settings. Any other GPU in a higher performance class would yield a significantly better ranking for this combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, the only time the system breaks the 50 FPS mark. The Medium preset averages 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. High settings drop the average to 23 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 18 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. The Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is still the most playable option. Medium settings average 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 31 FPS. The High preset averages 19 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 15 FPS. This resolution is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is not ideal for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly out of its depth. The Low preset manages an average of 34 FPS, which is the only 4K setting above 30 FPS. Medium settings average 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. High settings drop to 15 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to a dismal 12 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming is not a realistic option for this hardware, as even the lowest settings produce a frame rate that is below the threshold for comfortable play.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark scores are respectable, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and a single-core score of 1680. The processor's avgBenchmarkScore of 19039 places it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, and it is closely matched by rivals like the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (19047) and the Intel Core 3 201E (19056).

In the context of The Medium, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, but the benchmark results indicate that it is not the limiting factor. The frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see higher frame rates at lower resolutions, where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the frame rate drops steadily as resolution increases, which points directly to the graphics card being the primary performance limiter.

The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are adequate for this game, but they are not enough to compensate for the GPU's limitations. The data shows that the i5-12400F has more than enough processing power to handle the game's logic and physics, but the Arc B390 simply cannot render the frames fast enough. This is a case where a powerful processor is paired with a very weak graphics card, resulting in a system that is severely unbalanced for gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable setting for a playable experience is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which yields an average of 51 FPS. While this is still short of a locked 60 FPS, it is the closest this combo can get to smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 32 FPS, is playable but will feel stuttery, and the High and Ultra presets at this resolution are too slow for comfortable play.

For users who prefer higher resolutions, the Low preset is the only option. At 2560x1440, Low settings average 43 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced horror game, but it is a noticeable step down from 1080p. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only manages 34 FPS, which is best avoided if possible. The Medium preset at any resolution provides a very poor experience, with frame rates ranging from 21 to 32 FPS, making it difficult to recommend.

The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable, with average frame rates between 12 and 18 FPS across all resolutions. The data suggests that users should prioritize the Low settings preset to achieve the highest possible frame rate. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 19 FPS, which is a substantial gain in smoothness. Given the low overall performance of the Intel Arc B390, sacrificing visual quality for frame rate is the only logical choice for this hardware combination.